Switch.



PATENTED MAR. 20, 1906. E. FIELDS.

SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED we. 11'. 1 905.

' 2 A BEETS-SHEET 1.

VENT-OR Allomey W1 TNESSE No. 815,693. 7 PATENTED MAR. 20, 1906. Q

E. FIELDS.

SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED AUG.11,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- operation.

. 7. UNITED. STATES 1 PATENT; oEEIoE 1 EMANUEL FIELDS, 0E ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWITCH. 7

' Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented March 20,1906.

I Application filed August 11,1905; Serial No. 273,767.

' To all whom it may concern;

'Be it known that I, EMANUEL FIELDs, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference-being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates'to railway-switches, and more particularly to mechanisms largely automatic in operation, and particularly adapted for use on street-railways and in mining operations where coal and ore cars are used, although not wholly confined to 1 such railways, but practical and useful on'all railways where long trains of cars are not used, one of the objects being to provide a means for turningswitches automatically by utilizing the car-wheels, and also to provide meanswhereby a person'on the 'car can turn a switch without leaving the car. V

A further objectis to provide a device of the character described that shall be sim le in construction and effective and Other objects and advantages of my invention, as well as the structuralfeatures by means of whi ch these objects are attained, will be made'clear by an examination of the specification, taken in connection .with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals indicate corresponding portions throughout, and in which.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a section of track, showing one rail and showing the switch-rail in position tothrow a car on a switch and the operating mechanism in dot-. ted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1 and showinga detail of a car and also showing in operative position the spring-actuated lever whereby the switch-rail is returned to its position. Fig. 3 is also a side elevation of Fig. 1 and showing a car-wheel on the operating cam-lever whereby the switch-rail is thrown into the position shown in Fig. 1 and also showing the spring-actuated lever returned to its normal'position. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken throu h the track shown in Fig. 1 and showing t e switch-rail lowered] Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the switch-rail raised; and Figs. 6 and 7 are side elevations, partly in section, of a portion of track, and il ustiating a modificatio of parts constructed in accordance with my invention.

practica in 1 designates a. railway-rail of a main track,

otally mounted at one end thereof on a double crank 8, having its shaft suitably journaled .in bearings 9, as shown.

arm 10, which is pivotally connected by means of a rod or pitman 11 with a pivotallymounted horizontally-arranged arm 12, adapted to be actuated by said crank-arm through the medium of the pitman. Pivotally mounted on the double crank 8 is an upwardly-extending arm or rod 13, which is connected with a switch-rail 14, near one of the ends of said rail, the rail being pivotally mounted on a suitable support near its other end and also resting in an oblong cavity or depression in the latform or bed 3. Con nected at one ofits ends with the singlecrank arm 10 is a horizontally-arranged rod or pitman 15, having its other end pivotally mounted on a cam-plate 16, slidably mount ed in a vertical slot 17, preferably formed in the rail 1,, the upper end of saidv plate bein rounded, as shown at 18,and the lower .en formed or cut at an angle with the sides of the plate to form a fiat surface 19, upon which the plate slides on a suitable support, being held 1n operative position by means of a plate 20 or in any other suitable manner.

'In operation when a car passes along the track the wheels contact with the top of the cam-plate 16, pushingit down and causing the lower end to slide along its support. This carries the entire plate forward toward the 1.

switch-rail 14. (See Fig. 3.) The rod or pitman 15 bein pivotally mounted on the.

plate is pushe' forward, throwing downwardly the upper end of'the single-crank arm 9, which action raises the double crank 8, thus raising the arm orrod 13 and causing the switch-rail torise at'the'point nearest the rail- 1 to a level with the top of said rail to er initthe cars to enter the switch. It wil be observed that as the single-crank arm 10 is At one end of the double-crank shaft and preferably integral therewith is formed a single-crankcarried to a horizontal position it moves forward the rod or pitman 11, connected with the outer end of the horizontal arm 13, and causes said arm to turn on its axis and its inner end to be thrown under the switch-rail as it is raised to hold it in elevated position. The switch-rail is returned to its former position in the following manner: Each car is provided with a downwardly-projecting arm 21, having one end pivotally mounted on the lower side of the car-floor and secured near its free end to a vertical rod 22, passing through a sleeve 23, in which is arranged a coil or helical spring 24, having one end secured to said rod, whereby the rod is held in position. As the car approaches the switch the rod 22 is depressed against the tension of the spring 24, as shown in Fig. 2, thus lowering the free end of the arm 22 so it engages the cam-surface 2 and contacts the vertical end of the arm 5 and moves the same forward. This movement causes the rod or pitman 7 to move forward and lower the double crank 8, which carries with it the rod 1.3, which lowers the switch-rail. As the double crank is lowered Ethe singlecrank arm is turned upward and the pivoted arm 13 pushed around on its axis, so that its inwardly-pro- Jecting end is brought from beneath the end of the switch-rail, allowing the rail to descend.

In Figs. 6 and 7 is shown a modified form of my invention wherein the horizontal rod or pitman 15 is pivoted on a wedge or cam block 25, which is pushed under the beveledor pointed end of the switch-rail 1 when the cam-plate is lowered by the car-wheels. The horizontal arm of the angle-iron 5 is connect ed with one arm of a bell-crank lever 26, the other arm of said lever being pivotally connected with one end of the rod or pitman 7, which is also pivoted on the wedge or cam block to pull it from beneath the switch-rail when the vertical arm of the angle-iron is actuated by the rod 22. a

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that certain modifications of form and arrangement of parts will suggest themselves to the skilled operator and mechanic, which modifications and arrangements come well within the scope and spirit of my invention, and I do not, therefore, desire to be restricted to the exact arrangement and construction shown.

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a device of the character described, a pivotally-mounted switchrail, a crank journaled in a suitable support beneath the rail, means for connecting the crank with the rail, a slidably-mounted cam-plate adapted to be engaged by a car-wheel, a rod or pitman pivotally connecting the cam-plate and the crank whereby the crank is operated to raise or lower the rail, and means for holding the rail in elevated position.

2. In a device of the character described, a pivotally-mounted switch-rail, a crank ournaled in a suitable support beneath the rail, an arm connecting the crank with the rail, a slidably-mounted camplate adapted to be engaged by a car-wheel and thereby operated, a rod or pitman pivotally connecting the cam-plate and the crank whereby the crank is operated to raise the rail, a pivotallymounted arm having one end adapted to extend under the rail, and means connecting the crank and the arm whereby when the rail is raised the arm is thrown thereunder to hold it in elevated position.

3. In a device of the character described, a pivotally-mounted switch-rail, a crank j ournaled in a suitable support beneath the rail, an arm connecting the crank with the rail whereby the rail is raised or lowered, a cam-block mounted on a suitable support and having a longitudinal slot therein, an angle-iron hav ing its upper arm traveling in the slot, a rod or pitman connecting the crank with the angle-iron, and means connected with a railwaycar and engaging the ai'igle-iron whereby the same is caused ta travel in the slot and there by operate the rod or pitman.

4. In a device oi the character described, a railway-car, a switch-controlling mechanism comprising an arm having one end pivotally mounted on the car, a spring-controlled rod connected with the arm near its free end, and. a sleeve within which said rod is adapted to travel, in combination, with a pivotallymounted switch-rail, a crank journaled in a suitable support beneath the rail, a rod connecting the crank with the rail, a slidablymounted cam-plate adapted to be engaged by the wheels on the car, a rod or pitman pivotally connecting the cam plate and the crank whereby the crank is operated to raise or lower the rail, and means for holding the rail in elevated position.

57 In a device of the character described, a pivotally-mounted switch-rail, a crank journaled in a suitable support beneath the rail, an arm pivotally connecting the crank with the rail, a block mounted on a suitable support and having a cam-surface, said block being also provided with a longitudinal slot in the cam-surface, an angle-iron having its upper arm traveling in the slot, means for pivotally connecting the crank with the an.- gle-iron whereby, when horizontal motion is imparted thereto, the crank is raised or lowered thereby raising or lowering the rail, a horizontally and pivotally mounted arm, and a rod connecting the crank and one end of the arm whereby the other end of the arm is thrown under the rail when elevated to hold the same in elevated position.

6. In a device of the character described, a pivotally-mounted switch-rail, a crank jour- IIO naled in a suitable support beneath the rail, an arm pivotally connecting the crank with the rail whereby the rail is raised or lowered,-

a block mounted on a suitable support, said block having a cam-surface and a longitudinal slot, an angle iron having its upper arm traveling in the slot, arod or pitman connecting the crank with the angle-iron and whereby when horizontal motion is imparted to the angle-iron. the crank is raised or lowered thereby raising or lowering the rail, a horizontally and pivotally mounted arm, and a rod connecting thecrank and the arm whereby the other end of the arm may be thrown into and out of position under the rail when the crank is raised or lowered.

7. In a device'of the character described, the combination, with a railway-track, of a pivotally-mounted switch-rail," a crank journaled in a suitable support beneath the rail,

anarm pivotally connecting the crank with the rail whereby the rail is raised or lowered,

- and a rod connecting the crank and the other end of the arm whereby said arm is thrown into and out of position under the rail.

8. In a device of the character described,

the combination, with a railway-track, of a pivotally-mounted switch-rail resting in a depression adjacent to one of the rails of said track and having its free end adapted to engage the track-rail, a crank journaled in a suitable su port beneath the switch-rail, an arm pivota ly connecting the crank with the switch-rail whereby'it is raised or lowered, a block mounted on a suitable support and havin a cam-surface, said block being also provi ed with avertical longitudinal slot, an

angle-iron havin its upper arm traveling in the slot, means or pivotally connecting the crank with the angleiron whereby when horizontalmotion is im arted to the angleiron the crank is raise or lowered thereby raising or lowering the switch-rail, a camplate slidably mounted in a slot inthe trackrail and having its upper end projecting above the top of said rail, a rod or pitman pivotally connecting the cam-plate and the crank wherebywhen the cam-plate is depressed by a car-wheel the crank is raised thereby raising the switch-rail, a horizon-.

tally and pivotally mounted arm having one position, and a rod connecting the crank and the other end of the arm whereby said arm is actuated.

9. In a deviceof the character described, the combination,'with a railway-track, of a pivotally-mounted switch-rail resting in a depression adjacent to one of the rails of said track and having its free end beveled and adapted to engage said track-rail, a camplate slidably mounted in a slot in the trackrail and having its up er 'end projecting above the top of the rail, a wedge slidably mounted, adjacent to the free end of the switch-rail, and a ivotal connection between end adapted to extend under the. switch-rail when the same is raised to hold it in elevated the cam-plate an the Wedge whereby horizontal motion is imparted to the wedge to force it under the switch-rail thereby raising the same.

10. In a device of the character described,

the combination, with a railway-track, of a pivotally-mounted switch-rail resting in a depression adjacent to one of the rails of said track and having its free end beveled and adapted to engage the track-rail; a block mounted on a suitable su port adjacent to the track-rail and rovide face and a longitu inal vertical slot therein, an'angle-iron, the upper arm of which is adapted to travel in ,said slot, a wed e slidably mounted adjacent to the free en of the switch-rail, and means pivotally connecting the wedge with the angle-iron whereby-when horizontal motion is imparted to the angleiron the wedge is forced under the switch-rail with a cam-surthereby raising the same, or is pulled from beneath the rail thereby allowing the rail to descend.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EMANUEL FIELDS. Witnesses: GEORGE R. BOTH'WELL, CHAS. W. MORROW. 

